Julie snatches her backpack and tries to transform, but her reserves are pretty much depleted. Not even a tingle. She doesn't even have to look at Jason to communicate her panic before she's swept over his shoulder alongside a half asleep and startled Piper. Jason looks to Leo in fear.
"Take the girls and fly out of here!" Leo shouts, fidgeting with an open panel in Festus' neck.
"What about you?!" Jason yells over the roaring wind.
Leo waves them off impatiently. "I may be able to reboot Festus, but he's carrying too much weight!"
"Leo, no!" Piper shrieks. "If you can't reboot him-"
"I'll be fine! Just follow me to the ground. Now, go!"
Jason takes off without another word, and both sisters screech in surprise. He flies them just below Festus as the dragon soars on a crash course towards a mansion surrounded by snow-covered fields. The dragon isn't slowing down. Julie watches in horror.
"He's gonna crash!" She breathes out. "Jason, drop me, he's gonna crash!"
Jason shakes his head, but she can't see his face. "Are you crazy? I'm not dropping you."
"My instincts will figure it out, just go save Leo!"
"I'm not dropping you, Juliette, that's insane!"
Julie looks back at Festus in terror.
The bronze construct collides with the field in a firey blast.
Piper screams, and the rare curse escapes Jason. He kicks off the air and zooms to the ground. Leo's about thirty feet away from the wreckage, unconscious. Julie wriggles out of Jason's hold the moment his feet touch the ground and swings her backpack off to start treating him.
He's alive. No burns, obviously. His wrist is bruising. Looks like a sprain, not a break. He landed face first after rolling, but seems to have only a rapidly blackening eye to show for it. When he sputters and opens his eyes, his pupils match in diameter. No concussion.
"You are one lucky moron, Leo Valdez." hisses Juliette.
He blinks blearily at her. Then his eyes widen, and he shoots up. "Festus!"
"Lie down, you infuriating-"
"Where's Festus?!"
"Seriously, Leo," Jason pushes him gently back to the ground. "You could be hurt. Let Juliette-"
"Where is he?!" Leo snaps, pushing them off of him. He leaps to his feet and takes in the wreckage.
Julie watches his shoulders slump. The boy stumbles to the ruined pieces of his dragon and kneels beside Festus' weakly clicking, damaged head. A strangled sob escapes him.
"No," Leo shakes his head. "You can't go. You're the best thing I ever fixed."
Waves of grief crest and crash against Julie's shins. She allows it in, tugging on it as Leo falls to his knees and sobs over Festus' broken form. She tries to pull the pain from him, but her abilities feel shakey at best. Still, Julie hopes her efforts might give him any relief at all.
Leo looks to the sky, holding Festus' head tightly to his chest. "Take him back to the bunker, Dad, please...I've never asked you for anything."
Julie closes her eyes. New demigods always ask. It hurts to watch every time they inevitably go unheard.
Then, Piper gasps. Julie looks back at the wreckage just in time to watch it float away into the sky before their eyes. Her mouth drops open in shock.
"He-" She chokes. "He...answered you."
Leo looks over his shoulder at her and gives her a forced smile. "I had a dream. I'll tell you guys later."
Her head is reeling too much for coherent thoughts. She just nods absently and continues to stare at the faint gleam of Festus' bronze pieces disappearing into the clouds.
Leo is the MVP of the day. He's the only reason they make it inside the mansion without looking like Swiss cheese.
Julie feels bad about how much everyone's sour moods are helping with her exhaustion. She's still in no shape to be using her powers anytime soon - her arms shake when she tries lifting anything heavier than her backpack - but the bitterness from Leo, anxiety from Piper, and hopelessness from Jason are all boosting her healing, at least. Her ribs feel pretty much normal at this point. Her shoulder has finally started scabbing over.
She watches Jason try to reach out to Piper with sad frown. Her terse dismissal makes the boy's shoulders drop desolately. Juliette sidles up next to him and brushes their knuckles together, gently pulling the threads from his tightly wound frustration.
"Hey," She whispers. He looks to her with hollow eyes. "It's gonna turn out fine."
He drops his gaze from hers and pulls his hand away. Julie tries not to get her feelings hurt.
The discovery that nobody's powers work inside the mansion is not a comforting one, but morale is so low at this point that Julie keeps her mouth shut. They're running short on time to get this quest done, and everyone needs to rest before they get to Aeolus. So, she does her best to make the area cozy, arranging the pillows and blankets she steals off the sofas into a nest for them all to curl up in.
They sit in a tense, silent line, munching on the cold rations from Julie's pack and staring at the canary cages holding Gleeson and the venti. Jason pokes her in the back once she stuffs her empty wrapper into her pocket. She looks over to him.
"You should sleep." He says.
"You both should," pipes in Leo flatly. "It's your turn."
Jason frowns at his tone, and Julie senses there's a conversation that needs to happen there. So, she lays down beside Piper and turns over to give them some privacy. Her sister turns her head and opens her eyes. Tears are spilling down her cheeks. Julie doesn't say a word. She just pulls Piper in closer and lets her skin absorb the girl's fear.
Julie doesn't get much sleep. But Piper's tears stay dry, and her dreams stay pleasant.
"I thought we had an understanding, little dove."
Juliette wakes up in a cold sweat to the sound of her friends shouting. It takes about two seconds to realize why and immediately wish she'd brought earplugs along.
She had forgotten how much she doesn't like Gleeson Hedge.
Out of all the protectors she's met, he is by far her least favorite. Juliette's skills lay in talking her way through situations - deescalating and then throwing down in combat only when absolutely necessary. Gleeson's talent is *bonk* and *bonk* alone.
So, she's rubbing the incoming migraine out of her temples as she lets the guys calm the yelling satyr down after waking up in a canary cage. There are goosebumps up and down her arms and a chill she can't seem to shake. She tries to brush it off.
But, that was definitely Khione's voice.
She looks up only once the whole group realizes the entire house is made of gold.
Leo whistles lowly. "Daaanngg. No wonder they have so much security."
She sputters, gaping. "How did we not notice this?!"
Just as she finishes her question, a door creaks open at the back of the room. A pudgy man in a golden bathrobe comes waddling into the room and freezes, eyes wide and gold toothbrush falling from of his mouth when he sees them.
Julie and her friends exchange nervous looks. She steps forward with a smile, unarmed palms in the air. He surveys her hesitantly and leans back into the room he just emerged from.
"Son? Lit, come out here, please. There are strange people in the throne room."
"Hello, sir," Juliette greets sweetly, turning on the full force of her Appalachian charm. "We're sorry to have barged in. Do you think you could tell us-"
"DIE!" Shrieks Hedge, charging the man with a club in his hands.
And, that's why Julie doesn't like Gleeson Hedge,
Leo, Piper, and Jason all have to leap onto the satyr to keep him from bonking their unwilling host without provocation. Julie just scowls and crosses her arms.
A teenage boy comes skidding into the room seconds later in pajama pants and a sleeveless t-shirt. He's got a mean looking golden sword in his hands, dark hair, and a wild look in his eyes. Julie finds him attractive for about 5 seconds. Then, he swings his sword at Jason, and she loses all feelings.
"Hey, back off!" Julie shouts, placing herself between them. Lit stumbles out of his strike to avoid hitting her, looking surprised.
"Hold on! This is all just a big misunderstanding!" insists Piper.
The strangers relax a bit at the charmspeak in her voice, but Lit keeps his sword raised. Understandable, since Gleeson is still yelling death threats a few feet away.
"Would somebody shut him up?!" Julie hisses.
Jason nods and looks at the satyr pleadingly. "Coach, please. They may be friendly, and we're trespassing in their house, anyway."
The man in the bathrobe looks to Jason in approval. "Thank you! Now, who are you, and why are you here?"
Piper works on calming Gleeson down, insisting he drop his club, while Julie addresses the homeowners. "I'm very sorry about him, sir. We're on a road trip, see, and we got into an accident. We just came in here for shelter."
The man hums. "Well, you're a well mannered young lady. Very well, very well. Lit, down, child."
The boy drops his sword immediately, but his eyes stay narrowed on Jason. Julie gets it. She also finds it difficult to ignore those biceps. "Your Majesty-"
"No, no, it's fine, Lit. New land, new customs. Please, my guests, sit." The man waves towards the various pieces of golden furniture in the room. Julie complies without question. Gods, this is going better than she expected. Maybe it isn't a trap. Maybe this is just a nice old man ready to offer shelter to four tired and dirty teenagers alone on the road.
"Welcome to my humble home. I am King Midas."
Damn.
"Jason, duck!"
He does as she says, rolling over one shoulder just as Lit's sword arcs where his neck had been. Juliette's relief is a distraction for half a second too long. When she turns around to redraw her bow, King Midas' fingertips brush her wrist, and everything turns yellow.
"Ignoring me, are we? We'll see how long that lasts."
"We just c-c-c-can't catch a b-break, can we?" Julie groans, shivering where she's layered underneath half of their blankets.
"I h-hate H-Hera for getting ki-kidnapped." chatters Piper. She sucks in a disgusting sniffle. Julie grimaces at the sound and throws a tiny travel pack of tissues at her. Piper doesn't bother to catch it. She just lets it hit her face and fall down into her lap.
Leo cackles by the fire. They glare at him.
"Hey, I'm sorry! You both sound really stupid, though." He snickers.
Julie tries to flash her scary serpent eyes at him, but the tingling feeling just makes her sneeze.
"Uuuugghhh, just turn me back to gold. I was comfier that way." Julie whines.
Jason chuckles and sits down behind her. He pulls her back against his chest and rubs his hands up and down her arms to warm them. "Yeah, no. I think I like you better breathing."
Julie slumps against him and tries her best to burrow into his coat. He snorts a laugh and pulls it around her like a straightjacket.
"I feel like a mother kangaroo." He jokes. She huffs in annoyance and presses her freezing cold nose to his neck as punishment for his unnecessary rudeness. In the face of her shivering. How obnoxious. He hisses, but doesn't move away. She smiles against his shoulder.
Julie tunes Leo's voice out as he recounts his dream visit from his father. She listens more attentively to Piper's tale. They're in similar situations, after all. She wants to help. But, listening is hard. She's cold.
She's freezing cold, and she can't get warm.
"If you continue to neglect your responsibilities, I will be forced to administer consequences."
Juliette squeezes her eyes shut as another round of shivers wrack her body.
Howling pierces the night.
"Wolves." Piper breathes. "They sound close."
Julie removes her head from Jason's shoulder to frown at the group. "No," She shakes her head. "I've heard wolves. Those are...different."
"Ooh, special wolves? Is it somebody's birthday, or something?" Leo grumbles, standing up. Jason and Coach Hedge follow his lead, the former summoning his gladius and placing himself between the girls and the entrance to the cave.
"You two stay back," Jason orders down at them. "We'll protect you."
Juliette wants to protest, but she's shivering so hard she ends up biting her tongue. Without Jason's body heat, she feels like her fingers are freezing off. She just curls into a tighter ball.
When the first creature steps into the firelight, she knows they might be done for. It's enormous, bigger than any Great Dane Julie's ever seen and stark black, matted fur caked with mud and ice. Its jowls are dripping with foam, and its eyes gleam scarlet in the moonlight. As its pack creeps forward behind it, Juliette lets out a shuddering gasp.
"Not wolves," She mutters. Her friends glance back at her. She swallows around the block of ice that is her tongue. "Werewolves."
At her words, the pack parts down the middle, and a man steps forward. His hair is greasy and shaggy, falling in matted clumps down to his shoulders. A crown of human fingerbones rests on his temples, and his tattered clothing seems to have been fashioned from rotted, uncured animal skins. He fixes his beady red eyes on Jason, and his breathy voice makes Juliette's blood run even colder.
"Ecce, filli Romani." The man snarls past sharpened canines.
Julie doesn't know what that means, but Jason seems to tighten his grip on his gladius.
"So, it's true," The man muses. A wolf steps forward, and he runs his hand between its ears. Julie wants to cry. "A child of Aphrodite. A son of Hephaestus. A faun. A Heartbreak. And a child of Rome, of Lord Jupiter, no less...Together. Not killing each other." He smirks. "How interesting."
"Which part of your dear Azalea shall I freeze first? His roots or his leaves?"
Juliette cries out this time. The cold in her hands becomes so intense, she's sure her blood is turning solid in her veins. She clutches them to her chest and crawls as close to the fire as she dares. She hears Piper shift to her knees to place herself over Julie. The entire group inches closer together.
"Well, that one seems to be on her way out." laughs the stranger. He tilts his head like a curious puppy and surveys her. "Caught the ire of a frost deity, have we?"
Jason steps directly in front of Juliette, staring the man down. "You were told about us." He deflects. "By whom?"
Julie doesn't hear the response. Her vision is going blurry. Two different images are fighting for the main stage before her eyes. She watches Piper's face swim in and out of view, then disappear. She blinks, and she's somewhere else.
A palace. One she's been to before.
"Khione, this really isn't a good time-"
"You have incapacitated three of my most powerful pawns."
Julie shuts her eyes, rubbing her fists against them until she can see stars. "Nope. No. If I can't see you, you're not really here!"
Khione growls, and Julie hears her snap her fingers. In an instant, Juliette's eyelids are open, and she's standing, staring up at the goddess, unable to blink. The dark haired woman snarls at her. Her heels click against the crystalline floor of her palace as she approaches Juliette step by step, stalking forward like a predator. She comes to a stop inches from the demigod and wraps frigid fingers around her chin to lift her head upwards. Fear, cold and clammy, flashes through Julie. She tries not to let it reach her eyes.
"I am in no mood for that attitude of yours. Have you forgotten," hisses Khione. "That I hold one that you love within my walls?"
Julie swallows. The goddess narrows her eyes and tightens her grip on her chin.
"Well?"
Taking in a shuddering breath, Julie pushes down her pride.
"No."
Lycaon chuckles and steps forward, his children prowling a circle around all five of them. "Only the son of Jupiter is needed alive," He husks. "Come quietly, and I'll make the ladies' deaths swift and painless. Well," He smiles grotesquely. "Almost."
"No, what, child?"
She grits her teeth. Frustration blooms in her chest.
"No, ma'am."
"Silver!" Piper gasps. "Aren't werewolves hurt by silver?"
"We don't have any silver!" snaps Jason, slashing at Lycaon.
Juliette's arms give out. She collapses forward into the dirt beside the fire. Hands lift her up and lean her against something warm. Too warm. It feels like hot coals. She tries to squirm away.
"Hey, hey, hey, stop struggling, princesa, we're gonna get you out of here safe."
Khione nods at her, cold fingers still bruising her jaw. She curls her upper lip in distaste.
"Then, should I take your actions to mean his life is of little value to you?"
Julie's unblinking eyes burn from strain. She can feel her chin going numb from the cold.
"No, ma'am. I have to say, though, it's not like you've really given me any-"
An image is pushed through the contact of their skin. Azalea's shrub. Frost creeping forwards across the grass. It climbs up the main stalk of the bush. The lower leaves freeze and fall, shattering on the soil. Bubblegum pink flowers wilt brown. Distantly, Julie can hear a familiar voice cry out in pain.
Khione releases her face, and Julie falls to the ground, shivering. Every inch of her body is freezing. Frozen. Colder than she's ever felt. She finally blinks her eyes shut and feels ice crystals form, painful and sharp, in her tear ducts.
"I can't summon any more gas!" Leo warns. "Wow, that came out wrong. I mean the burning kind. What you got, man?"
"Nothing," pants Jason. He wipes sweat from his brow. "Not a single weapon that works."
"Not even lightning?" Piper squeaks.
"I think the snowstorm is interfering or something."
Khione stands above her. Julie hears her scoff in annoyance.
"I have held such hope for you, Heartbreak. My mistress seems rather fond of you, after all. Though, I suppose she sometimes places her faith in the wrong people. Is that what you are?" She whispers dangerously. "The wrong person?"
Yes. Please, just leave me alone.
"No, ma'am."
"Good. Because I have a task for you to redeem yourself."
"I can smell your fear, little heroes. A few more minutes to live. Pray to whatever gods you may wish," Lycaon chuckles. Then, his face darkens. "Zeus did not grant me mercy. You shall have none from me."
Julie sits huddled on the grass as her fingers turn blue. Her friends are standing guard in front of her. Even Piper with that stupid dagger of Helen of Troy's. Ready to go down fighting. All of them. And all Julie can do is sit and watch. Pathetic.
Then, the first silver arrow strikes through a wolf's throat.
"You told me to let you know when I'm ready to cut my strings." Julie hisses. Khione raises an eyebrow, and it causes a wave of rage to start thawing out Julie's fingertips. "I'm not your puppet either, Khione."
"Thalia?!"
From beside the final wolf's body, the tallest Hunter turns around sharply. A hand comes up to push down her hood, and Thalia Grace drops her mouth open in surprise.
"You're...It can't be...Jason?"
"You want me to do this? Fine. But, you're going to do something for me too."
Khione throws her head back and laughs. "You think you're in any position to make demands?"
"Yes." snarls Juliette.
The goddess chuckles and smiles indulgently. "Well, this ought to be good. What is it your sweet mortal heart desires?"
"Oh, goddess, Juliette? What's wrong with her?!"
"We don't know. She just started freezing." Piper replies fearfully.
Thalia sighs sharply, and strong arms scoop underneath Julie's knees and shoulders. "I'll bring her to the main tent. Moon draught might help. Phoebe, run ahead and get some ready."
"I'll agree to do this. Hades, I'll even swear on the Styx. But, you're going to do the same. You're going to swear that, once it's done, Azalea will go free."
The goddess narrows her eyes. The temperature drops even further. Juliette's fingers are frozen solid now. The ice crystals are creeping up her wrists.
"Why, pray tell, would I agree to that?"
"Because, otherwise, you can go shove your head in the snow. I won't do it."
There are hands holding her jaw open, pinching her nose. Juliette thrashes.
"Julie, stop struggling! Just drink it, you brat!"
"Thalia, her fingers."
"Oh...Oh no."
"You'd leave your dryad to freeze?"
"Yes."
"You think I'd believe that?"
"I don't care what you believe. It's what's going to happen. I won't be a puppet. He wouldn't want that for me."
"Come on, kid. Stay with me."
Khione studies her unhappily. Her perfect blue lips are turned down in a frustrated scowl. Finally, a ragged sigh escapes her, and she crosses her arms like a child.
"Fine. Very well. If you complete my task, I swear on the Styx that your Azalea will be released, immediately and unharmed, from imprisonment.
"And he'll stay that way."
Khione glares at her. "And I shall not take him captive again."
Juliette nods, relaxing as a thunderclap echoes from above. She can feel the ice in her system melting. Warmth is returning to her veins. She stretches out her stiff fingers and pushes down the lump in her throat threatening to strangle these words out of her.
"Then, I'll do it." She agrees with a shudder. "Give me the resources, and I'll put Aeolus under your spell. I swear on the Styx."
Thunder rolls overhead, and the ice goddess smirks.
Hey, guys!
Wow, this chapter was hard to write. Definitely the most difficult part of the story yet. If it read sort of weird and disorienting, that was the goal, dw. I'm looking forward to having Thalia back in this story for a bit bc that's my girl.
Let me know what you guys think! Happy reading!